Thisara Perera came out of nowhere to take the World XI to a thrilling win in the 2nd Twenty20 against Pakistan in the Independence Cup at Lahore last evening. The World XI won the game with 7 wickets and a delivery to spare.

Batting first, a solid 1st wicket partnership between Babar Azam and Ahmed Shehzad steered Pakistan to 174 for 6 in 20 overs. Thisara bagged 2 for 23 in 3 overs for the World XI.

In response, Hashim Amla’s resurgence gave the World XI a solid platform to unleash towards the end of the chase. However, the home team made it quite tough for the visitors by maintain the pressure in the middle overs.

Thisara’s late push gave Du Plessis’ side a chance with Amla in the other end. With 33 to get in just a dozen deliveries, Perera swung his bat with power to take his side to a win to level the series.

“First of all it’s a real honor to be selected to the World Xi. Not much to say, it was a very happy day. Hash told me to stay till the last moment because we can catch up. I listened to him and we did really well. It’s a habit for me to be in this situation. This is a dream come true for me [playing in this team]. Thanks to Pakistan’s fans for coming out,” said the Sri Lankan all-rounder.